


brother

by imposterhuman



Series: angsty post-endgame drabbles [9]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Gen, Hurt James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Hurt No Comfort, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, James "Rhodey" Rhodes Needs a Hug, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Rhodey Feels, pure angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-31 01:23:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19415581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imposterhuman/pseuds/imposterhuman
Summary: Someone had to move Tony's body off of the battlefield.





	brother

**Author's Note:**

> i realized that i hadnt written rhodey angst for my series yet and that was unacceptable to me
> 
> cry with me

Someone had to move Tony’s body off of the battlefield. 

Steve volunteered, Thor too, but Rhodey knew that it couldn’t be either of them. Neither of them knew Tony, not really. They knew Tony Stark, they knew Iron Man, but they didn’t know Tones. They didn’t have him like Rhodey had him, they didn’t love him like Rhodey loved him.

“I’ll do it,” he croaked out. He was already kneeling at Tony’s side, his voice hoarse from begging his brother to wake up. Peter was sobbing silently next to him and Pepper was clutching Tony like she could will him to wake up with the force of her love. 

Gently, gently, he pulled Pepper’s hands off of Tony from where it was digging dents in his suit. His armor scraped hers- both of them made by Tony to keep them safe- as he passed her, limp and crying, to Carol. 

“I’ll take care of her,” Carol promised quietly. Pepper’s screaming was the only sound on the battlefield; it seemed wrong to be noisy in the face of her grief. By then, a crowd had gathered, watching the tragedy play out in full color. Rhodey paid it no mind.

Rhodey gathered his broken pieces together and wiped his face. Shock was setting in, he recognized distantly. Shock and disbelief. 

Rhodey was never supposed to outlive his baby brother. 

But Tony’s corpse on the ground, burnt and pale, meant that he had. 

There would be no miracle save this time. Tony wouldn’t take a breath, saying _you actually thought_ that _would kill me? Honey Bear, it’s like you don’t even know me._ Rhodey flinched at the sight of Tony’s eyes, open and lifeless. The spark of humor that accompanied every near-death experience was gone.

Rhodey lifted Tony, armor and all, in one fluid motion. The body was still warm; Rhodey could feel it from where Tony’s face rested against his neck.

The tears came back, dripping off of Rhodey’s face onto Tony’s still one.

_It wasn’t supposed to end like this._

“You’re a fucking idiot,” he told Tony tearily. “But you’re still the best goddamn man I’ve ever met.”

Tony should have woken up. He should’ve teased Rhodey for being sappy.

He didn’t.

Tony’s arm swung down, not supported by Rhodey’s own. It was the gauntleted one, and Rhodey felt a surge of anger choke him.

The Stones were still brightly shining on the wreckage of Tony’s hand. Rhodey wanted to destroy them, to ruin them the way that they had ruined his brother. He wanted them _gone_. But he just stopped for a moment, shifted Tony around, and folded Tony’s arm over his chest, over his dark reactor. They were glowing, a rainbow riot, and it still wasn’t enough to replace the dim blue that Rhodey had grown so used to seeing.

They came up on the edge of the annihiliation, on a patch where the grass was still green and the trees hadn’t fallen. Rhodey wasn’t sure how far he had walked to find somewhere alive, somewhere where he could lay Tony down to rest. 

Rhodey set Tony’s body down, next to a patch of flowers. He retracted his own gauntlets before touching Tony’s face. Carefully, ever so carefully, he closed Tony’s eyes. If not for the burns, his brother could have been sleeping. Rhodey brushed Tony’s hair away from his eyes (he had always hated it when it hung in his eyes, but he never cut it) and laid a careful kiss on his forehead. 

He was still crying, great heaving sobs that shook his whole body. But his hands were steady when he tapped Tony’s arc reactor twice and the nanobots went back to their housing. Tony’s body was so much smaller without the armor, but Rhodey wanted it gone. 

_Tony Stark_ had died, not the suit. He was Iron Man with or without it, but he was only Tony when he wasn’t covered in metal. Rhodey didn’t want people mourning the suit when it was the hero that the world had lost. 

“Goodbye, Tones,” he stood up to wait for the rest of the Avengers to find him (to guard Tony, just in case). 

The world had lost a hero, but Rhodey had just lost his brother.

**Author's Note:**

> these two are the best mcu friendship and no i do not accept constructive criticism
> 
> comments and kudos make me smile
> 
> come yell at me for this on tumblr @imposter-human

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Farewell Dear Friend](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20590889) by [IronSwordStarShield (SweetFanfics)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetFanfics/pseuds/IronSwordStarShield)




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